


Enchanting

by tardisman14



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tardisman14/pseuds/tardisman14
Summary: A novelized version of Enchanting Grom Fright, told from Amity's pov. A look into what was going through her mind in that episode, with snippets of happenings in-between scenes. Told in 4 parts (3 main chapters, plus the prologue), rated to be safe, and obviously Lumity.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Edric Blight & Emira Blight, Amity Blight & Luz Noceda, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda, Edric Blight & Emira Blight
Comments: 5
Kudos: 92





	1. Prologue

Blight Manor,

Day of Grom,

Early Morning

“‘Hey Luz, I was wondering, if you didn’t have any plans for tonight-’ No, that’s not it either...”

The youngest Blight crumpled up the latest of many notes and chucked it in the nearby waste basket. UGH! Why did this have to be so difficult?

Ever since that human first showed up weeks ago, everything had been turned upside down for Amity. She had gotten Amity’s spot as top student put in jeopardy. She had embarrassed Amity during their witch’s duel (although looking back, Lilith had just as much to do with that as her). And she (inadvertently) helped Amity’s older siblings find her diary.

However, while Luz hadn’t made the best first impression, Amity had managed to find a kindred spirit in her. The first instance was their shared passion for wanting to learn magic. While it was true that humans had no natural magical ability, she had managed to find a way around it. It was this instance which Amity started to show some respect for Luz’s drive. She had also not expected to meet anyone who was as into The Good Witch Azura as much as her (she didn’t even know the books existed outside the Boiling Isles).

And ever since then, Amity only became more and more fond of her with each meeting. She helped fix the mistake she made at the library even though Amity wanted nothing to do with her, and afterwards she was kind enough to lend Amity her copy of the 5th book in the Azura series. She had helped Amity save Ed, Em, and the Owl Lady from that Slitherbeast (yes Luz had caused the problem, but Amity knew at that point that she had no ill intention). Heck, Amity was actually pleasantly surprised upon finding out that they would both be at Hexside that semester. And of course most recently, she helped Amity restore the damage done to Willow’s memories, and their friendship was now in the process of being mended.

Amity’s time getting to know Luz had certainly been full of surprises. But the biggest surprise was that even after all of that, she STILL couldn’t place exactly how she felt about Luz. It wasn’t anything negative, she knew that much. The part she couldn’t figure out was whether she saw Luz as a friend or...something more.

On the one hand, it could’ve been _that_ long since her friendship with Willow had originally ended that the idea of having a REAL friend for the first time in years got her that excited. But on the other hand...if it really WAS more than that, she had no idea how to handle it. She couldn’t remember feeling THAT way about anyone before. Sure, she had made fan art of herself with Malingale the Mysterious Soothsayer. Who HASN’T shipped themselves with a fictional character before? But this?

...Amity needed a way to know for sure. And with Grom being held that night, this was her best chance of finding out. If only she could be more decisive when it came to just writing what _should_ be a simple note.

“Hey Mittens, you almost ready? We’re gonna be late”

Aaaaaaaaand she was so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed her older siblings just walking into her room without knocking.

She didn’t even have to turn around to know that they were trying to look over her shoulder to see what she was working on. Thankfully for her, it’s moments like this that made her glad she was in the Abomination track. It was only seconds later that Ed and Em found themselves being punched through the ceiling by a large purple fist. The last thing Amity needed right now was those two being all over her because of a potential crush.

However, she did realize they were right about the time. Great. School was gonna start soon, and she was STILL no closer to finding the right words to use. Not wanting to be late, she made one final attempt at a note, and headed out the door. Hopefully, her simplistic approach with this last one would be enough.

‘LUZ,

Will you go to Grom with me?

Amity’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue inspired by this tweet (12/27/20 update: screencap because Dana deactivated her Twitter): https://64.media.tumblr.com/9067d58345bc4e25426be2c4525db9c9/abea77a506b2030b-dd/s640x960/06b3eb385315d9661645b8909f36f7cfdb8107df.jpg


	2. Chapter 1: Royal Announcement

Hexside School of Magic and Demonics,

Mid-morning

The halls of Hexside were even more lively than usual as students and faculty alike helped set up decorations for that night’s festivities. There was also, of course, various students working in last-minute Grom-posals, ranging for simple to elaborate.

But right now, Amity’s mind was somewhere else. As she made her way towards Luz’s locker, note in hand, she went over the plan in her head again:

Step 1: Write a note to give to Luz asking her to Grom. Done.

Step 2: Find the right place and time to give Luz the note. In progress.

Step 3: If Luz agrees, go to Grom together. If she’s just happy to be around Luz, strong friendship. If she feels something more, ...she’ll work that out later.

Step 4: If Luz turns her down, ...she’ll know based on how she takes it.

It was a simple plan. Not too complicated. She had her note in hand ready to deliver it. ...But that last part really gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It didn’t make sense. Amity was the top student in her class. She had a clear path towards a future in the Emperor’s Coven. She was the envy of practically every student. So why did ONE hypothetical scenario have her this worried?

*BUMP* That worry, however, was soon replaced with irritation towards whoever had just collided with her.

“Watch it, nitwit!-”

But once Amity sees who she bumped into, she backtracks.

“Oh. Hi, Luz... and co.”

Wow, she REALLY needed to work on not snapping the moment she bumps into someone. Especially considering that this time Luz was just off to the side talking with Willow and Gus. It was _her_ not paying attention.

“Sorry about that.”

“No problem, let me help you!”

At least Luz was kind enough to help pick up her books and-

“Here, your note.”

WAIT, WHAT?

Amity quickly snatches the note from Luz’s hand.

“Man, you got some quick grabbers.”

“It's just- it's private.” What was going on with her today? Part of the plan was making sure Luz got the note. And yet… she couldn’t let Luz see it. But why? Didn’t she WANT to know what Luz would say?

Just then, there’s a screeching sound coming from the speakers. All around Amity, the other students were muttering.

“Attention Hexside students. This is your principal speaking.”

This had to be it. Bump HAD to be announcing who has been selected to be Grom royalty. And knowing her luck that day, Amity had a bad feeling about what was coming next.

“This year, I have the privilege to bestow our highest Grom honor to... Amity Blight. Our Grom queen!”

With that, all the uneasiness she had felt not a minute before had just been made even worse.

“WHOOOO! Amity, get it, queen!” she had heard Luz shout just then.

She needed to get out of there. For some reason, she couldn’t be around anyone right now, especially not Luz. She quickly ran off towards her first class.

* * *

Amity was a wreck that morning. She did her best to pay attention during her first few classes, but her teachers and classmates had noticed that she hadn’t even volunteered to answer a single question. Although they weren’t too surprised given her current position.

Lunch time rolled around, but Amity wasn’t feeling all that hungry. She decided to go somewhere less crowded to think. She figured the gym would be her best bet. There weren’t any classes in there that day due to Grom being set up. She knew that Principal Bump as well as some student volunteers would be working on preparations, but she figured they would be too busy with that to notice her just sitting in the bleachers.

Amity knew what being chosen as Grim queen meant. She supposed it only made sense that she would be selected, given her status as top student. But still, based on what she had heard from her siblings about previous years, it was a challenge for even the BEST students. And given how tense she had already been that morning…

Amity wondered. She had already dreaded the thought about what would happen once she gave Luz the note. And for some reason, it felt stronger than anything else she could rationally think of. Even stronger than her chances of joining the Emperor’s Coven being put at risk or anything her parents threatened her with over the years. She was still trying to figure out exactly how she felt about the human. But could the idea of Luz not reciprocating any potential feelings _really_ be her worst fear? And if so, would that mean that those feelings would be confirmed?

Amity was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a rumbling and looked towards the source. She saw that Luz had apparently stumbled across the arena.

“Medieval torture seems like a strange theme for Grom, but hey-”

With that, Amity recalled Luz’s reaction from earlier. She supposed it would only make sense that Luz didn’t know about Grom tradition. Any dances in the human realm would likely be different than those in the demon realm. Deciding that Luz should know the truth about what would be happening that night, she spoke up.

“They're not for decoration. This arena is where I'll make my debut as Grom queen.”

“Right. Why don't you seem excited?”

“Because this isn't just some dance party.”

As if on cue, that black gloop that would be Amity’s opponent for the evening decided to make itself known.

“That's Grom. Short for Grometheus, the fear-bringer. It's a monster that lives under the school. Every year it tries to break out, and a student has to defeat it before it invades the town. Ever the optimist, Bump holds a party and calls it tradition. The worst thing is that Grom can read minds and shape-shift into your worst fear.”

Amity then looks back on her thoughts from a few minutes ago.

“And mine is... very embarrassing.”

“If it worries you so much, then why don't you tell Principal Bump you want out of this death match biz? *GASP* Unless talking to Bump is your greatest fear.”

Amity let out a small chuckle at Luz thinking THAT would be what she fears the most.

“No, but that's a good idea. Thanks, Luz.”

Maybe Luz was right. Maybe if Bump knew about how stressed she felt, he could find a way to get her out of it. With that, she left the gym to go find him.

* * *

Amity took a deep breath as she approached Principal Bump’s office. If talking with him really was her best chance of getting out of being Grom queen, she could not afford to mess this up. She knocked on the door and waited.

“Come in”

Amity entered the office, hopeful that Bump would hear her out.

“Ah, Miss Blight. What can I do for you?”

Amity hesitated for a few seconds. But she knew what she needed to say right then and there.

“Principal Bump, I’m aware what a huge responsibility it is to be selected as Grom Royalty. But the thing is… I don’t know if I’m entirely up to the challenge. If there’s any way you can get me out of it, I’d be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Bump was silent for a few moments. Amity knew that couldn’t be good.

“*SIGH* I can’t say that I’m entirely surprised. In my time as principal, there have been many students chosen, even those who have been considered the best, who have been unsure about their chances. Unfortunately, you know as well as I that if Grometheus isn’t kept in check each year, it WILL cause havoc throughout Bonesborough. I get that the prospect can be terrifying. But as Top Student, you statistically have the highest chances among the student body of being able to keep Grom at bay.”

As much as Amity dreaded to hear it, she knew Bump had a point. The risk of Grom escaping was too great to be left to chance. She was about to leave when Bump spoke up once more.

“Look, I understand your worries, so I am willing to make a deal. If you can find anyone else willing to take your place before tonight, you’ll be relieved of your duties as Grom queen. Otherwise, I wish you the best of luck tonight.”

With that, Amity left Bump’s office and decided to get ready for her afternoon classes. Although for the rest of the day, there was only one thing going through her mind. She was doomed.

* * *

The moment the final bell screeched, Amity couldn’t get out of the school fast enough. She didn’t care where she was going, just that she needed to get out of there as fast as she could. She saw a set of woods not too far by. At least she knew no one would go looking for her there.

It seemed like a good idea from Luz at the time. But who was Amity kidding? Grom was too dangerous to be left unattended. Of course there was now way that Bump would allow the top student to get out of this. Sure there was one solution brought up, but that required someone to WILLINGLY agree to go up against a monster that can bring your fears to life. What was she going to do?!

*BUZZ* She pulls out her scroll to see a new group message from Ed and Em. Great. _Just_ who she wanted to hear from right now.

Ed: ‘Hey Mittens. We saw you bolting out of the school earlier.’

Em: ‘Listen. We may mess with you from time to time, but we get what you’re going through right now.’

Ed: ‘We remember how our J felt when they were chosen as Grom royalty 2 years ago. We can’t imagine you feel any better about it.’

Em: ‘So, we figured that the least we could do is help you prepare a little. Ed and I can use our illusion magic to help you practice facing your fears. Let us know once you get home.’

Oh yeah. How could she forget? At this point, she wasn’t sure what made her feel worse. The idea of the entire school seeing what she feared the most, the prospect of what she felt that fear might be, or the fact that because of all of this, she likely wouldn’t have a chance to give her invitation to-

“LUZ CHOP! AAAAAAHHHHHH!”

*WHACK*

“Ow!”

Great. What now?

“Oh my gosh, Amity! I'm so sorry!”

Wait. Luz?

Amity then saw her clear as day thanks to that light spell the human had become known for. And just like earlier Luz helped her up.

“And here I thought this day couldn't get any worse.”

“Did you talk to Bump yet? Was it as terrifying as you imagined?”

“*SIGH* He said no. I'm Grom queen, unless I can find a replacement. And who'd want to switch with me?”

There was nothing Amity could do at this point. Why bother to hide it?

“I would.”

“What?”

Did she hear that right? Could Luz be serious about this?

“Amity Blight, I'll do it. I'll take your place and face Grom in the arena. I'll be your fearless champion!”

Was that a large spider on Luz’s face?

“GAAAHHH!!!”

Aaaaaaaaand Luz was face down in the mud.

“fearless... champion…”

Amity wasn’t sure this was the best idea.

“Luz, are you sure about this? I mean, I told you earlier what this means.”

Just then, Luz gets up and places a hand on Amity’s shoulder.

“Listen. I know how much this has been bothering you. I can’t just stand by and watch my friend go through something that makes them feel that uneasy knowing that there’s something I can do. I WANT to help.”

Amity knew that determined look in Luz’s eyes. She had seen it plenty of times before. When Luz first challenged her to that duel, when Luz tried to save her from Otabin, when they were going up against the Slitherbeast, and when they were fixing the damage she had done to Willow’s memories. Knowing that look, Luz wasn’t going to back down anytime soon, no matter what anyone would say.

...plus, if it meant that she wouldn’t have to face Grom, it couldn’t hurt to try.

“Well, if you really are going to take my place, you’ll at least need to be prepared.”

“Great! I’ll go tell Bump that I’ve volunteered. We can meet at the Owl House in an hour to start training. See you then!”

As Luz ran off to see Principal Bump, Amity was still unsure about letting Luz do this. But for now, she needed to help her friend get ready. And she knew just the annoying siblings to help her.

* * *

Upon making it back home, Amity opened the door to get inside, only to find Ed and Em waiting for her. ...well at least they could be convenient when the situation called for it.

“So Mittens, ready to train to go up against your worst fears?

“Slight change of plan. I’m not the one who’s gonna need your help preparing.”


	3. Chapter 2: Fear and Guilt

Woods outside Bonesbrough,

Late afternoon

“Remind us. How exactly do you know where Luz is living?”

“Long story, Em. Let’s just say I _may_ have needed her and Eda’s help fixing a ...mistake I made.”

“Ooooooo! Little Miss Perfect needing help fixing a mistake? This has gotta be good.”

Amity was silent. If either of them were to find out about what she had done to Willow’s memories, they’d never let her hear the end of it. Luckily for her, they were coming up on the Owl House just then.

“So, this is where she’s staying.”

“I like it. Seems rather quaint.”

“Just stay here. I’m gonna go check to see if Luz is ready to start training.”

“HIYA, HOOT!”

“GAAAHHH!”

That’s right. Amity had forgotten about Eda’s ‘security system’. As well as the fact that it seemed to have NO sense of personal space.

“HERE TO SEE LUZ? SHE’S UPSTAIRS GETTING READY! I CAN TAKE YOU THERE, HOOT HOOT!”

“NO! Just tell her I’m here.” The last thing she needed right now was being covered in even more feathers than she had been in the last thirty seconds.

“ON IT, HOOT!”

While the bird-tube stretched its way to the second floor window, Amity headed straight inside. Upon heading upstairs, she heard what she recognized as Luz’s voice and opened the door it was coming from, assuming it must’ve been Luz’s room.

“Amity!”

“If that bird-tube ever talks to me again.... I'm going to destroy it.” It did not help that she was still trying to pick feathers out of her hair. “You ready to train?”

“What should I wear to Grom?” Amity then noticed the two ‘outfits’ Luz had picked out. “This one says, ‘witch with a dark side’. But this one says, ‘I'm an otter... with a dark side.’”

As much as Amity had grown to find Luz’s antics charming, she knew that now was not the right time.

“Luz, you need to take this seriously. If you can't defeat Grom, everyone on the island will have to live out their worst nightmare.”

“YOU WANNA HEAR MY WORST NIGHTMARE??” Well, she gave them fair warning.

What followed was a thrashing of pure feral rage as Amity laid into the annoyance of a house that was Hooty. It took Luz pulling them apart before she started to calm down.

“ _Okay_ , I think we should get on that training. Amity, let’s head outside. Hooty, I’ll have King bandage you up.”

“SHEESH!”

The two then went downstairs and noticed King sitting on the couch with some flash cards.

“King, I need you to take a look at Hooty. We had a little… incident.”

“Can’t you do it? I need to make sure my material for tonight is top notch.”

“I would, but something’s… come up. If you do it, I’ll make you that new scone recipe I found last week.”

“UGH… fine. But they had better be JUST for me! Last time I only got a few because you had Willow and Gus over.”

“I’ll make sure to mark them.”

With that, the demon reluctantly made his way upstairs to check on the bird tube. As the two made their way outside, Luz was greeted to the sight of Amity’s older siblings waiting.

“Ed? Em? What are you guys doing here?”

“They’re here to help train you.”

“We had originally planned to help Mittens here get ready” said Ed. “But she told us about your situation, so here we are!”

“That was SO sweet of you looking out for her like that.”

As much as Amity would _love_ to have her siblings embarrass her around Luz, there was work that needed to get done.

“If we can focus, now. Grom will transform into your darkest fears. What are you afraid of, Luz?”

Amity noticed Luz hesitate to answer. So Ed spoke up.

“Wanna say our greatest fears? On three- one two... being alone forever!”

“Being stuck with you forever.”

Yeah. Of the twins, Amity definitely knew Ed to be the more clingy one.

“In preparation, I've made a list!”

Amity and the twins took a look at the list Luz handed her. The twins were quick to get started, and immediately started casting illusions. The first was a large version of Luz’s communication device with some guy on the display.

“Jerks online who wanna debate!”

Next was what looked like a cat with a human face. Wait, didn’t Amity read something somewhere about an entire dimension with those things?

“AAHH! No! Human souls trapped in cat bodies!”

Finally was a- ...carton of milk?

“NOOOO! I'm lactose intolerant!”

“Not enough.”

From some of the stories Amity had heard, many matches with Grom start out with small fears like this. But once Grom gets a hold of its victim, that’s when things really take a turn. This was not going to cut it.

“The reason I can't face Grom- it goes deeper than things that just gross me out. What's your _real_ fear, Luz?”

Amity then saw Luz think for a few seconds, looking up at the house behind her.

“My real fear... is that Eda thinks I'm too fragile to do this! And if she's right, I'll never be a real witch!”

Alright. Fear of a mentor feeling less of their pupil. THIS was something they could work with. Ed and Em then combined their magic to make a large version of the Owl Lady herself.

“You're inadequate.”

They even managed to nail the voice. As much as they got on her nerves, Amity had to give them credit where credit was due.

The illusion then conjured up a high chair, which Luz was now sitting in, as well as a bib saying ‘weak baby’. Wow. This really _did_ have an effect on Luz, didn’t it?

“Nooooo!”

It may be difficult for Luz, but Amity knew that this was their best chance of getting her ready for tonight.

“I get it. Ditch the yellow. *GASP*” 

Oh great. How’s Eda gonna react to a giant version of herself messing with her pupil?

“Is that supposed to be me? Dang, I look great. *chuckle*”

Apparently with self-admiration. Wow. Amity WISHED she had that level of self-confidence.

“Wait a sec- you're training to be Grom queen!”

“So what if I am!”

“You think training will help against Grom? Luz, you always go overboard and I end up bailing you out. Now, what's the fun in watching a kid get eaten by a monster if it’s _my_ kid?”

“Well, maybe you'll have fun watching me _defeat_ Grom!”

As much as Amity was grateful to Luz for volunteering to take her place, she knew Eda had a point. Seeing it firsthand, Luz _did_ have a habit of jumping in head-first without thinking things through.

However, as Amity saw how low the sun was getting, she knew that they maybe only had less than a couple of hours before Grom started and the rest of them had to get ready, themselves. What they had managed to get done would have to do.

“Luz, I don't think you're ready, but we're literally out of time.”

“I’ll take it. *GASP* I just realized the PERFECT outfit to go with tonight! I gotta get ready. See you in a few hours!”

Well, at least Luz hadn’t lost any of her enthusiasm.

“*SIGH* I swear, the stress that the kid’s putting me through is making me age even faster.” Eda then turns to Amity. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

As Eda walked back into the house, Amity only had one response.

“Me too.”

* * *

Blight Manor,

30 minutes before Grom

Amity took one last look at herself before she and the twins left for the dance. She had decided to go with a dress that was, in her opinion at least, rather simple. After the day she had, the last thing she wanted was any attention on her.

As Amity was about to leave, she noticed the note on her desk. The one she had written that morning in hopes of asking Luz to be her date tonight. The thing that had started this whole mess. She wondered. Could this whole situation have been avoided if she had never written the note to begin with? Would she have not been as worried about going up against Grom if her mind hadn’t gone to the thought of what she would do if Luz turned her down? Would Luz have not had to worry about what was going to happen tonight if Amity hadn’t been so willing to let Luz fight her battles for her?

Whatever might have been, it was too late to do anything about it now. But there was one last question going through Amity’s mind. Would it still be too late for her to find out how she really feels? She then made the decision to bring the note with her just in case. Maybe if tonight went well enough and any worries about Luz not being able to handle Grom were for nothing, she could still work out how she really saw Luz.

Grabbing the note, she went downstairs where Ed and Em were waiting for her. Unsurprisingly, they had decided to color coordinate their outfits. Twins. Anyway, now that their sister was finally ready, the three of them headed out the door, ready for the night’s festivities. ...well, mostly ready.

As they walked, while Amity could hear her siblings discussing how they each planned to spend the evening with their respective dates, her mind was elsewhere. All she was hoping was that tonight wouldn’t turn out to be a total disaster. Not just for her, but for Luz as well. This was going to be the human’s first dance in the Boiling Isles, and it was going to be spent fighting a monster that feeds off of your worst fears. Maybe she should talk to Luz beforehand, just to make sure that she really was ready.

* * *

Hexside gymnasium,

Grom

It was still relatively early in the night, but seemed as if this year’s Grom was already in full swing. Amity could already see some couples on the dance floor, while others went to get their Grom pictures taken by the photographer. While Ed and Em waited for their dates on the dance floor, Amity decided to go looking for Luz, but was soon approached by Principal Bump.

“Ah, Miss Blight. Glad you could make it.”

Amity still didn’t know how he could remain so positive knowing that there was a chance Grom could escape that night.

“I must admit, I was skeptical when Luz first came to my office saying that she wanted to volunteer to take your place. But as soon as she mentioned that _you_ would be training her personally, I knew that she was in good hands.”

Great. As if the pressure Amity was feeling that night wasn’t high enough.

“Anyway, hope you enjoy your night!”

Alright. Amity REALLY needed to find Luz. She looked all around the gym, but the human was nowhere in sight. However, she did see Willow making corsages for some of the couples. She supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to ask if she knew where Luz might be. Plus if she was being honest, it would be nice to talk a bit with her old friend, even if they were both still getting used to the idea of possibly becoming friends again after all these years.

“Hey, Willow. Having fun?”

“Amity. Hi. Yeah, things are going well so far.”

“Great. ...”

“...”

“That’s a nice dress you have.”

“Thanks! My dads actually helped pick it out. I like yours, too.”

“Thanks. ...So, have you by chance seen Luz? I need to check with her on something.”

“Oh yeah. She told Gus and I about volunteering to take your spot. I think I saw her a few minutes ago in the hallway.”

“Thanks.”

As Amity was about to head for the hall, she stopped for a moment.

“Hey, I know it’s only been a few days since we’ve started to make some progress. But… can I get your opinion on something?”

“Uh… sure. What’s on your mind?”

“...Do you think it was wrong of me to let Luz take my place? I mean, I’m very grateful to her for wanting to help me out. But at the same time, I’m feeling kind of bad the reason she’ll be facing Grom is because I was too afraid. Should I have done more to dissuade her from doing it?”

There was silence for a moment. Amity waited for Willow to start chewing her out for putting Luz in potential danger. But to her surprise, Willow simply placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke calmly.

“Look. I get any worries you might have right now. But I think you and I both know that once Luz sets her mind on something, there’s not a whole lot to convince her otherwise. I mean, it was because of her persistence that we’re starting to repair our bond, right?”

“...yeah, that _is_ true.”

“Also, from what I’ve seen, even when things have gotten bad for Luz, she’s always been full of surprises. I take it you’ve seen it as well. Plus, if things do get out of hand, Principal Bump asked Eda to chaperone tonight. I seriously doubt she’d let anything serious happen to Luz in her watch.”

That’s right. Amity had forgotten that Eda was there tonight. If those claims about her being the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles were to be believed, maybe there was less to worry about after all.

“But hey. I think it’s still really sweet that you’re this worried about Luz. It really says a lot about how far you two have come. Although, maybe try not to show it as much around her. If she sees that you’re worried about something, then SHE might start to get worried. And I don’t think any of us want that.”

“Yeah, good point.”

Just then, the lights in the gym started dimming, and they could hear Gus’ voice over the mic on stage.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and assorted demons! It's almost time for our main Grom event. Please, please, take a seat, and be aware that the first three rows are designated splash zones.”

Amity knew that it wouldn’t be much longer before the battle. She had to talk to Luz while she had the chance.

“Hey, I gotta go find Luz. Thanks for the talk Willow. It really helped.”

“No problem. Also, if you need any _other_ advice regarding Luz, just let me know.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing!”

As Amity started to walk towards the hall, she wondered. Was there a chance that Willow knew? Could her recent behavior around Luz really be that obvious?

Once she made it to the hallway, she looked at the note she brought with. Part of her started to wonder if it would even be fair to ask Luz at this point. Willow was right about not wanting to make Luz worry. Would asking her now just put more in her mind for Grom to use against her? Just then, Amity heard footsteps and put the note away. She looked up and saw Luz standing in front of her.

“I'm not sure if it's nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk, but something's making my stomach squirm.”

“You look nice. Strange, but... nice.”

It was true. While the combination of the outfit wasn’t your… typical choice for an event like this, there was something rather charming in how unique it was. Amity thought, in a way, it was the _perfect_ outfit for Luz to wear tonight.

“And, thank you, Luz. Honestly, I'm kind of amazed with how fearless you are. You've done things I could never do.”

“Hah, yeah, right! You goin' soft on me, Blight?”

“*chuckle* In your dreams.”

While Amity couldn’t quite explain it, being there at that moment, having this little talk with Luz, it all just felt… right.

“Now, introducing our Grom queen. You know her, you love her, you've... at least heard of her. Luz, the Human!”

Well, this was it. The moment of truth. Time to find out whether or not Luz was really ready.

“Wish me luck!”

As Amity watched Luz walk out into the gym, she couldn’t shake that feeling of guilt that had been with her that night. So much so, she could only get out one word.

“Luck.”

She really hoped that this wasn’t a mistake.

It must’ve been right around then that Gus pushed the button on stage. Amity could hear the arena opening up and saw the weapon racks rise up beside Luz. She decided to find a spot on the bleachers that was out of the way enough that she wouldn’t be noticed, but still close enough that she could easily make out Luz’s progress.

As Amity watched Luz go down into the area, weapon and glyphs in hand, she noticed Grom starting to take the form of those weird cats that were on Luz’s list. Luz seemed to be handling the situation pretty well so far. But Amity knew that this was just the beginning. The level of fear would only increase from here.

Minutes went by, and Luz still seemed to be going strong. Amity heard commentary being done by Gus and Principal Bump, as well as… _some_ words being said by King. But she wasn’t really focusing on what they were saying. Right now, all of her attention was on Luz and Grom.

Amity then saw Grom start to transform into what looked like some sort of monstrous version of Eda. Wow. If this was supposed to be its interpretation of Luz’s worries about Eda not having confidence in her, maybe this really was Luz’s greatest fear. Hopefully that training they did earlier will pay off here and they can finally move on with-

Just then, Grom reached out to Luz’s head and… Wait. Something’s not right. It’s transforming again. This time into… a door? Amity sees the door start to open and… Hold on a second. Who is that?


	4. Chapter 3: A Night to Remember

That wasn’t Eda. It appeared to be some kind of human. In fact, Amity could’ve sworn they looked quite a bit like… Luz.

Amity saw Luz start to back up nervously. Was this one of her relatives? What was going on? With all these questions going through Amity’s head, she suddenly heard Grom’s form shout something from the arena.

“...have you been lying to me?!”

All of a sudden, Grom turned into a more monstrous form of whoever this was supposed to be. Lying? What could Luz have been lying about? Could it really be so bad that she couldn’t bring it up during the training session? This was bad. If Amity was reading the look on Luz’s face right, she wouldn’t last much longer.

And she was proven right. Amity saw Luz make a break for the door. And… Oh no. Grom was escaping! All around her, everyone started piling out of the bleachers and went right for the hallway. But Amity was so in shock over what just happened, she was frozen in place.

“Hey, kid! You in there?”

Amity was snapped out of it by Eda, now standing in front of her.

“Come on!”

Amity and Eda started following the others already in the hallway.

“Yeah, that's right, so let's follow them and see what happens next.”

Apparently King and Gus were leading the others to see the rest of the battle. Amity and Eda were still a bit behind, but with one look at each other, they both had the same thought. They had to help Luz, and fast.

Once they made it outside Eda summoned her staff.

“I’m gonna follow them from the air. Try not to fall behind.”

With that, the Owl Lady took to the sky while Amity followed from the ground. Judging by Eda’s current direction, Amity figured that Luz and Grom must’ve been headed for the woods.

As Amity ran towards that direction, her mind was racing. This was all her fault. She LET Luz get involved because she was too scared to face her fear. She KNEW Eda was right about Luz getting in over her head, and she went forward with it anyway. And now because of her, Luz was in danger. All because she couldn’t face the possibility of Luz not reciprocating any feelings she STILL didn’t know whether or not even exist!

Amity had to make this right. She just HAD to.

She made it to the woods, but lost sight of Eda. Just then, she heard some kind of blast and figured that Eda had caught up to them. She went towards the source, and came across the other students and Principal Bump gathered behind some bushes. She went to see what they were looking at and saw Luz, Eda, and Grom several yards in front of them.

Whatever thoughts might have been going through Amity’s mind at that moment, her body started acting on instinct. And right now, it was telling her to protect Luz, no matter how dangerous it might be.

Deciding to act, Amity lept out from behind the treeline and rushed to put herself between Luz and Grom.

“Stay away from her!”

Just then, Grom reached out and grabbed a hold of her. Amity knew what was coming next.

“I'm sorry, Luz. I should have fought my own battle. I-”

Right then, Amity could feel Grom going through her head, searching for what it was that she feared the most. She could barely hear Luz calling out to her. And then, Grom had found what it was looking for.

Amity had felt Grom set her down. When she came to, she had seen that it had transformed into some kind of humanoid form, roughly around age if she had to guess. It reached into her pocket, took out the note, ripped it in half, and crumpled it right in front of her.

And with that, Amity had her answer. And it hurt even worse than she could have imagined. It didn’t matter how vague Grom’s form was. Deep down, she knew  _ exactly _ who it was supposed to be. And while she knew it wasn’t the  _ real _ them, she could still feel her heart shatter into a million pieces in that moment.

As Amity picked up half of the crumpled note, she saw Luz run over and pick up the other half. Well, looks like the secret was about to get out.

“You were afraid of getting rejected.”

And when Amity looked up at Luz, she could see her start to… smile?

“Amity, it's okay. What if I went to Grom with you instead?”

Had Luz not seen the half that had her name on it? Whatever the case, Amity started to feel as a weight was being lifted off of her.

“Really?”

“That’s what friends do.”

In all that time Amity had spent that day worrying about the idea of her now-confirmed crush turning her down, she had forgotten about one of things that she admired about Luz the most. Her kindness. All those times. At the covention, the library, fixing Willow’s memories. It was always Luz trying to reach out to her. There was no way she could see Luz deliberately hurting her like that.

With her worries eased, Amity felt a renewed sense of determination flow through her. There was a shapeshifting fear monster that needed to be dealt with. She knew that Luz would be by her side to face it together. And given the occasion, there was only one way she could think of at that moment.

“Well, then, if that's settled, may I have this dance?”

It was now Amity’s turn to reach out to Luz. And Luz seemed more than happy to accept. They joined together, and it was as if something had clicked in that moment.

The two began their dance, taking one step after another. Throughout it all, the two were in perfect sync, never missing a beat. It was like neither one needed to tell the other what to do next. Amity used the routine to cast a spell circle with her feet, rising her and Luz atop a giant abomination. They continued from there, with Luz placing her glyphs on the abomination before they leapt off, sending the abomination into Grom itself. At that moment, the glyphs start to take effect, causing various plants to bloom from Grom’s body. Finally, the two land, finishing off their routine in a flourish as Grom explodes behind them.

In Grom’s place, a tree stood before them. The two look in awe as tiaras appear on each of their heads. They look at each other and smile as, for the first time that night, all felt right.

“Sooooooo.... who did you wanna ask out?”

“Oh, it’s… not important.”

Amity tossed her half of the note aside. As amazing as that moment was, she still didn’t feel like she was ready to tell Luz. Not yet, anyway.

“And there you have it, folks. A happy ending for this year's Grom. Let's give a big hand to our Grom queens, Luz and Amity!”

Well, Amity was certainly caught off guard. She had been so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten there was anyone there besides her and Luz. Right then, the rest of the students and Principal Bump came out from behind the bushes and started cheering the two queens. As the two were lifted up by the crowd and started to make their way back to Hexside, Amity felt on top of the world.

* * *

Hexside gymnasium,

Not much later

Now that Grom had been taken care of, the rest of the evening went a lot smoother. More students had been dancing than before the main event. The photo line was even longer than before. Everything was going great.

...And then, there was Amity just standing off to the side.

“Hey, kid. Why the party-of-one?”

Amity looked to her side and saw Eda standing next to her.

“*SIGH* I know I should be thrilled that Grom was defeated. But… you were right. Luz got in over her head trying to help me, and she almost got hurt because of it. I should’ve done more to keep her from doing it, but I was too scared to face my own fear to do anything about it.”

There was a few seconds of silence before Eda spoke up.

“Look, don’t be too hard on yourself. Fear can be a powerful thing. Even for most powerful witches, having to face your worst fears can be intense. The importanting thing is that when the time came, you stepped up and were willing to face yours so that Luz would be safe. The way I see it, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Also, speaking from personal experience these last few weeks, it gets harder and harder to say no to Luz when she offers to help. The kid’s just more endearing that way.”

“Heh, yeah.”

Amity would admit, trying to turn down Luz’s help  _ was _ getting difficult for her at this point.

“Plus, I won’t lie. You two look rather cute together.”

...WHAT?

“Uh- W-well I mean, I g-guess it WAS a rather impressive dance routine, and I suppose Luz’s outfit COULD’VE been way more unusual than what it already was. But, um… Is it me, or is the room getting smaller?”

“Kid, you can save it. I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at her all night. I’ve seen it plenty of times before with many different people.”

“...Oh.”

So it  _ was _ that obvious.

“Listen, I’m not gonna tell her if you don’t want me to. That’s  _ your _ business, so it’s up to you to decide when you’re ready.”

Huh. That’s actually pretty cool of her.

“Although, I will say this. You can’t wait for the right moment forever. ...But for now, I’d say enjoy tonight. Have fun with your co-Grom queen”

At that moment, Eda looked behind Amity.

“Speaking of which…”

“Get in here, Blight!”

Amity felt Luz yank her towards where the photos were being taken. She was so caught off guard, she could feel herself blushing. Right then the photographer spoke up.

“Say ‘Grom Fright!’”

“‘Grom Fright!’”

Amity realized that there were two other voices there that weren’t her or Luz. After the photo was taken, she turned to see that Willow and Gus had managed to get in as well. 

Maybe Eda was right. The worst part of the night was over with. Amity should be having fun with her friends. If Luz could be enjoying herself after everything that happened, then so could she.

* * *

Blight Manor,

Later that night

The walk home that night had been surprisingly quiet. While Amity may have had a lot on her mind then, it was rather jarring to not hear a word from the twins. Although, given what she had heard, she couldn’t really blame them. Apparently their dates had stood them up. While they could be annoying a good amount of the time, she couldn’t help but feel a little bad for them. She was just glad that HER night hadn’t been as bad as she feared it would be.

As Amity made it to her room for the night, she decided to reflect on the evening. The night had certainly been eventful. Not just for her, but also Luz, if that one conversation was anything to go by.

*flashback*

“You really think Willow and Gus will be able to convince Bump to let you back into the dance?”

“We’ll see. Looks like I at least found one thing magic school and mortal school have in common. Otter suits are a ‘no’ at dances.”

“Yeah… Sorry you got kicked out because of it.”

“Eh. I at least got a picture in with it, AND I lasted longer than my last school dance. I still consider this a win.”

“Well, I guess that’s one way to look at it. So, just in case they can’t convince Bump, you want me to stay here until Eda’s done chaperoning?”

“I’d like that,”

There were a few moments of silence. Then, Amity figured this would be a good time to ask about something that had been on her mind since the fight against Grom.

“Hey, there’s something I wanted to ask about. But, you don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Well… I guess it depends on what it is.”

“That last form Grom took when you were going up against it. It wasn’t anything you had brought up while we were training. And from what I saw, you weren’t expecting it either.”

Luz looked uneasy for a moment. Did Amity cross a line? After a bit, Luz gave an answer.

“That last form that Grom took… That was my mom.”

“Your mom? Did something happen between you two? All I was able to hear from where I had been sitting in the stands was something about lying. What did she mean?”

“*SIGH* You know how I can be a bit of a weirdo at times?”

“Um… yeeeeeessss?”

While Amity didn’t like saying it after how close they had gotten, if Luz wanted the truth, she supposed it was only fair to tell her.

“Well, back home, it was starting to become a problem. My mom had decided to send me to a summer camp to help straighten out my eccentric tendencies. While I was waiting for the bus, Eda’s palisman, Owbert, got a hold of one of my Azura books. So I chased him to this old house, which actually turned out to be a portal to the Boiling Isles that Eda had been using.

Eda agreed to send me back if I helped her and King with something. After I helped her, she held up her end of the deal. ...But I decided I wanted to spend some time in the Isles so that she could teach me magic. And the rest is history.

While I’ve still been able to keep in touch with my mom through my phone, I still haven’t told her where I am or what I’ve been up to these last several weeks. I feel bad about having to lie to her, and I know I’ll have to tell her eventually. But, I still don’t know how, when, or even IF I’ll be able to tell her.”

To say Amity was surprised would be an understatement. To think that Luz has been having to deal with this for weeks… No wonder she looked so freaked out when Grom took that form.

“...Wow. I had no idea.”

“Yeah. I know I should have brought it up during training so I could’ve been better prepared. But, I guess I thought that I could distract myself from one big fear with another. Guess we both know how well  _ that _ turned out.”

It was then that Amity remembered what Eda had said to her earlier.

“Well, as someone rather wise told me, you can’t wait for the right moment forever. Maybe at least start with trying to open up to her a bit more.”

“...yeah, maybe you’re right. Thanks Amity. I felt good to talk about this with someone other than King.”

“Did he have any advice?”

“Well… sort of. But, I think yours was more helpful.”

“Anytime.”

*end flashback*

It really put things into perspective for Amity. If she had been having a difficult time trying to tell Luz how she feels, she imagined that Luz was feeling even worse. She hoped that Luz would be able to work it out somehow.

As she took off her tiara and placed it in her hope chest, Eda’s words ran through her head once more. ‘You can’t wait for the right moment forever.’ Amity knew that at some point, Luz was going to have to leave the Boiling Isles and go back to her realm. She didn’t know  _ when _ , but she knew that it was certain. How will she know if she’ll be ready by the time that happens? It looked like all she could do for now was make the most of her time with Luz and hope for the best.

But, Amity would choose to worry about it tomorrow. For now, it had been a long night, and she needed to get some rest. As she got ready for bed, she thought about everything that night had been. Intense, nerve-wracking, and scary for sure. But most of all, that night had been… enchanting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bits of final scene and flashback inspired by this tweet (12/28/20 update: screencap because Dana deactivated her Twitter): https://64.media.tumblr.com/d707240487da08067619c945ce633620/b17335c4f47e303a-aa/s500x750/7d42029ec5aba391ee72d65669798f127166ef2b.png and this image which was cut from the episode for time: https://64.media.tumblr.com/f2b3e57f1d9f764e39e857b9df9b701a/8728756b3fd855bb-fa/s500x750/1cd01d2101d025fef555c1af3150050239904668.png


End file.
